Another Ancient Experiment Gone Wrong
by JustAnotherObsessedFangirl
Summary: Lewis gets a new job at the SGC and discovers something about the Merpeople.


**Disclaimer: I don't own anything you recognise.**

 **Lewis POV**

It sucks but after school the girls and I drifted apart. Even Cleo and I, in the end we decided we just weren't meant to be.

It wasn't until five years later when Rikki called that we all meet up again.

It was amazing, she had met born mermaids, who wanted to welcome the girls- Emma, Cleo, Rikki and Bella into their pod, and when they found out how Will and I had helped the girls they welcomed us to.

All of us, even Will and I we're given the choice; if we wanted to go through a special full moon and get full mer-powers.

In the end, we all did it. The girls all eventually earned moon rings and mastered everything, and Will and I did the same, minus the rings of course.

"Dr McCartney" a voice calls from the entrance to my lab, breaking me from my reminiscing.

"Yes" I answer turning to him, he's American air force that is obvious from his uniform.

"Major Davis, U.S Air Force" he introduces himself shaking my hand.

"Pleased to meet you, now what can I do you Major?"

He takes out a large pile of paper from his folder, "I'm here on recruitment. The Air Force has a very special project running and we are recruiting scientists, unfortunately I cannot tell you what the project is unless you sign up, but I promise it's the adventure of a lifetime."

I look over the papers, "You want me to sign a one-year contract before telling me what I'll be doing or where I'll be?" I look at him like he's insane.

"I know it's unusual, but I promise you won't regret it" he tells me, with a look in his eyes that I've only seen once before in Cleo's eyes when she talked me into turning a merman and telling me how much I'll regret it if I don't, the adventures I'd miss out on.

I think over it for a moment, the boss of this lab likes me, I can always get this job back and the mystery of this does intrigue me.

I sign the forms.

I still can't believe it! aliens, space travel and the worlds governments have known about it for years!

It's been six months since I found out and I've been working at the SGC analysing things that teams bring back, thankfully medical doesn't give the people who don't go off world as intense exams, so they don't know about my merman status.

I was in the weekly meeting going over things that had been found off world when I saw it. They were up to the archaeology part of the meeting, so I was mostly ignoring them, when I recognised the ancient language as the photo; the language of merpeople.

"To open the door, place the stones" I read accidentally out loud, everyone at the table turns to me.

"You can read this?" Dr Jackson asks excitedly "We've been trying to translate this for over a month."

"Um…. yeah when I was a teenager a couple friends found a book in that language and we dedicate a few years to figuring out what it said… not that it mattered, it turned out to just be a kid's story book" I lie, most of the born merpeople learn the main language of whatever country they live in the waters of in school, but this is there first language and it was required for us to learn it when we joined the Pod.

"Do you still have the book? And any notes from your time studying it?" Jackson questions.

"Un no, when Rikki found out it was just a kids book she got angry and set fire to everything" I lie again.

"Dr McCartney, this language is a dialect of Ancient. This message could lead to a lab, I want you to read over everything we have, see how much of it you understand" he tells me handing over files.

Agreeing I quickly run off to my lab thoughts swirling in my mind.

The main one; it's not magic.

It makes so much more sense; my people are probably one of the Ancients mistakes like the Replicators or the Wraith.

It only takes a few minutes to read over what they have, which is not much. Pretty much you put a moon crystal in the slot and the door opens to the lab.

I take my moon crystal off from around my neck, (it was Cleo's before she got her ring.)

"Have you found anything?" Jackson asks walking into my lab, I quickly hide the crystal.

"Un no not yet" I lie before grabbing my bag, "Look it's getting late, I'm gonna go home I'll work on this in the morning" I tell him before leaving.

As soon as I'm clear of the base I drive to a point where I can swim to the closest Pod.

In the last few years the Pods around the world had gotten closer to each other and the excepting men and land.

As soon as I get there I explain the situation to the council and take them to the meeting chamber, a special cave which can pretty much make holographic images of all the other chambers in the world and let all the Pods communicate.

Soon enough all the Pods councils are visible on holographic screens around the cave.

Once I've explained the situation to them there is a lot over arguing over what to do, some denying the very idea that we're practically aliens, others saying it doesn't matter as long as the humans don't find out about us, but the strongest argument by far is that it is time to tell at least Homeworld security that they're sharing this planet.

In the end, it's put to a vote, everyone from very Pod over 17 gets a vote and in the end telling them wins.

It's decided since I already have a connection to them I will tell them about us tomorrow, while the Pods pick a representative.

The next morning when I exit the elevator Dr Jackson is waiting for me, "You already know what it says don't you?"

"Yep" I answer honestly walking with him.

He gives me a look of surprise "Huh, I was sure you were going to deny it, so why did you lie yesterday?"

"I promise I'll explain, but I should explain it to your team and the General" I tell him knowing SG1 has more pull than I do with the higher ups.

He nods and leads me to the meeting room overlooking the Stargate where they're all waiting.

Once I've taken my seat I turn to them and start to speak "It's not a dead language, my guess the people who speak it are descended from another of the Ancients projects. When I was 15 three of my friends got stuck in a cave, when they tried to leave through the water exit the Moon Pool as we call it activated, and changed them on a cellular level, giving them powers and a different physical form, luckily, they can turn back. Anyway, six years ago Rikki met three girls who were born that way and they welcomed my friends into their Pod, then when they found out how much myself and another friend had helped them they welcomed us to, letting us transform in the Moon Pool."

Once I've said that I casually make a small storm cloud in the glass in front of me and get it raining and blasting lightning.

"I spent the first year I knew about my friends trying to find a scientific explanation, but it was all so far ahead of me I couldn't find one and decided to agree with the girls that it was magic. Until yesterday I never considered it could alien but when I realised I talked to the world Pod Councils, and it was agreed I would explain everything to you today while they picked a representative."

"What are they? You never said" Carter asks.

Making a motion with my hand I allow water to pour over myself and transform.

"Are you kidding me! I get my life is weird but mermaids seriously!" Mitchell asks.

Everyone ignores him.

"Why did the… Pods keep themselves hidden" Jackson asks curiously.

"From what I understand of Pod history they didn't use to, but about two thousand years ago Landpeople got it in their minds that by eating body parts of Merpeople they could cure themselves of disease or protect themselves from dark magic. Needless to say, a lot of Merpeople died and the Pods decided it was best to stay away from land people. So, you should know a lot of Pod members are still unsure of this and don't want communication with Landpeople, especially men" I explain drying off.

They share looks understanding, knowing they'll have to tread carefully, "Why don't they like guys?" Mitchell asks.

"I don't know all the details, but there was a war between the mermaids and the mermen a very long time ago, they only started allowing mermen in some pods in the last decade most Pod are still all female" I explain.

They share another look "I'll arrange for our liaison to be a woman" the General tells us.

Over the next few weeks negotiations happen. In the end it's agreed the Merpeople get a representative on the Homeworld council, a group to join the Atlantis expedition to study sea life and a few of us land-walking Merpeople to join the expedition teams, after all it's our planet too.

When we eventually get to that lab, it's just what we expected Merpeople were an Ancient experiment, they were trying to find a way to make deep ocean work safer they believed the suits could break they were trying to make a way so they didn't need the suits, but there was an accident in the lab, everyone in the research station became Merpeople. Eventually they created the Moon Pools, so they could turn back at least when dry, things got out of hand and here we are millions of years later with their descendants believing their own legend.

 **ONE-SHOT.**


End file.
